UW Ascends in National College Rankings

The University of Wyoming has made a big jump in two major national college rankings, augmenting its recently achieved status as a Carnegie R1 research institution.

In the latest "America's Top Colleges 2027" list by Forbes magazine, UW climbed from No. 244 to No. 175 among all universities, public and private. Among public universities, UW now stands No. 80 on the Forbes list.

And, on the "2027 Best Colleges in America" list by the popular college search website Niche, UW moved from No. 120 to No. 99 among public universities.

The new rankings are just the latest recognition of Wyoming's flagship and land-grant university, which in 2025 became one of 187 institutions nationwide designated as R1 universities by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

"The University of Wyoming is an ascending institution with a world-class faculty and staff, superb facilities, amazing students and a fabulous campus experience," President Shane Reeves says. "These new rankings are just one indicator of the growing national reputation of excellence for Wyoming's university."

The Forbes rankings are particularly noteworthy, as UW leapfrogged several land-grant and flagship institutions in states including Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. UW's No. 80 ranking among public institutions also puts it ahead of several flagship universities in states including Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Oregon and South Carolina.

The new Niche ranking signifies an "A-" score and puts UW ahead of Colorado's land-grant university, which dropped to No. 124 among public universities and a "B+" score.

The Forbes and Niche rankings are not the only new pieces of recognition for UW. Another college search website, College Raptor, ranked UW No. 13 on its list of the "Top 25 Best Rocky Mountain Colleges," which includes public and private colleges. When the list is narrowed to public universities, UW ranks No. 5.

And in Money Magazine's new "Best Colleges in America" list, UW received four stars, ahead of land-grant universities in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Utah, among others.

Earlier this year, TIME Magazine ranked UW as the 99th best U.S. university overall -- and the nation's No. 61 public university -- in its list of "The World's Top Universities of 2026." And the consumer website SmartAsset ranked UW No. 41 on its "America's Best Value Public Universities" list.